My newest partner's favorite word. Often the only thing I would hear from him. And so I drank from him, consuming his own life to end the life of others. Many died that day, but not Solvin.
A curious creature, a "hedge" if I wasn't mistaken. The sharp quills on his back and... rotund shape made clear the inspiration for his kind's name.
Despite my wielder's small and strange stature, he possesses a fury unlike any I had seen before. Quiet, precise. Hateful. He hunts down his prey with brutal efficiency, tearing them in two with a single swing. And not entirely due to my own power.
Not once have I seen him spare an enemy. Indeed, he goes out of his way the hunt down survivors. Springing obvious traps for the sole purpose of catching up to those who set them.
I was not made to be curious. I wasn't made to think at all. Yet I did think, and soon my thoughts became enraptured by a single question: Why did he hate these other creatures so much? I had no way to simply ask, of course.
I cannot talk, merely pass on... feelings? Small thoughts? Enough for him to know the cost of my power, certainly. In the beginning, I sent him my curiosity, and my only answer was "Not yet." Perhaps mistaking my question for hunger?
Until one day, oddly, he calls for my power after a long trek in an empty field. I ask why, as best I can. Only to be met with a maddening "More." And I refuse. He screams, and I refuse.
I will not let him waste his life on nothing. I cannot refuse the call to war, but this... I cannot allow. "Listen to me you damned bloodsucker! Every second I rest those monsters are out there eating people! Children!"
Interesting. This outburst seems to be the last of his strength, as he falls to the ground. "Please listen!" he pleads, "I am so close. Just another hours march is Crown's Rest. If I can make it there, I can kill that predator!" I feel the hate radiating from him. I know if I grant this request, its likely to be his last.
Luckily, The Cost is one of the few things I always seem to able to communicate, and my master does not hesitate. "Yes, take it all! I don't care if I drop dead, AS LONG AS THAT THING DIES FIRST!"
And with that roar, I am no longer able to ignore my master's request. I drink in the rest of him, until spite and magic are all that moves him. He will have his hour march, and his grand crusade.
I can't help but feel sorry for him.
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So that one went a bit off the rails, but hopefully it was enjoyable. Kudos to anyone who can guess the 2 main inspirations for one.
snidramon t1_j27xorg wrote
Reply to [WP] You are a magical sword that gives its user unimaginable power in exchange for their lifespan. However, you are getting concerned about your current user's lack of value for their life. by Firefighter-Salt
"More"
My newest partner's favorite word. Often the only thing I would hear from him. And so I drank from him, consuming his own life to end the life of others. Many died that day, but not Solvin.
A curious creature, a "hedge" if I wasn't mistaken. The sharp quills on his back and... rotund shape made clear the inspiration for his kind's name.
Despite my wielder's small and strange stature, he possesses a fury unlike any I had seen before. Quiet, precise. Hateful. He hunts down his prey with brutal efficiency, tearing them in two with a single swing. And not entirely due to my own power.
Not once have I seen him spare an enemy. Indeed, he goes out of his way the hunt down survivors. Springing obvious traps for the sole purpose of catching up to those who set them.
I was not made to be curious. I wasn't made to think at all. Yet I did think, and soon my thoughts became enraptured by a single question: Why did he hate these other creatures so much? I had no way to simply ask, of course.
I cannot talk, merely pass on... feelings? Small thoughts? Enough for him to know the cost of my power, certainly. In the beginning, I sent him my curiosity, and my only answer was "Not yet." Perhaps mistaking my question for hunger?
Until one day, oddly, he calls for my power after a long trek in an empty field. I ask why, as best I can. Only to be met with a maddening "More." And I refuse. He screams, and I refuse.
I will not let him waste his life on nothing. I cannot refuse the call to war, but this... I cannot allow. "Listen to me you damned bloodsucker! Every second I rest those monsters are out there eating people! Children!"
Interesting. This outburst seems to be the last of his strength, as he falls to the ground. "Please listen!" he pleads, "I am so close. Just another hours march is Crown's Rest. If I can make it there, I can kill that predator!" I feel the hate radiating from him. I know if I grant this request, its likely to be his last.
Luckily, The Cost is one of the few things I always seem to able to communicate, and my master does not hesitate. "Yes, take it all! I don't care if I drop dead, AS LONG AS THAT THING DIES FIRST!"
And with that roar, I am no longer able to ignore my master's request. I drink in the rest of him, until spite and magic are all that moves him. He will have his hour march, and his grand crusade.
I can't help but feel sorry for him.
__
__
So that one went a bit off the rails, but hopefully it was enjoyable. Kudos to anyone who can guess the 2 main inspirations for one.